Told with an endearing combination of empathy and humor, Mikael Ross’s The Thud is the story of Noel, a young boy with development disabilities who hears a sound—the thud of the title—and discovers his mother has fallen in the bathroom, hit her head, and is in a coma.
After his mother’s terrible injury, Noel’s secure and loving life with her is upended; he must leave home and is sent to live in a group home that offers him new opportunities for friendship, relationships, and personal growth.
In this excerpt, Noel is comforted by a kindly nurse at the hospital. The Thud by Mikael Ross is out now from Fantagraphics.
This piece was produced in partnership with Publishers Weekly.
